No one gets into Scouting halfway.
You either are or you aren't, involved in Scouting. There is no "Scouting is skirting the fringes of my life" thing. You may not be an active participant in scouting at some periods of your life, but the fabric of your life has blue and gold threads running through it: you know the lingo:
"Arrow of Light"
"Order of the Arrow"
"Eagle Scout"
"Woodbadge"
"Merit Badge"
"Little Philmont"
Just a few weeks ago, my stepson attended "Little Philmont". Attended is probably too mild of a word. It's a learning experience, a test of your patience and skills, a primer for Leadership-ness. Mark is a grownup man with three jobs and a family, but he has chosen to make Scouting a part of his life. The ranks of Scoutmasters, Committee Members, and Merit Badge Counselors are filled with just tha kind of dedicated people. People who carve out a little time each week to develop and carry on a successful Scout program are people just like you and me--they are special because of their volunteership spirit, because they enjoy helping boys and girls be productive and engage.
You primarily remember the "bad" campouts. The ones that were held with the rain pouring down, with cars getting stuck in the sand, the ones when things didn't go perfectly. Scouting mimics life. If you can get through scouting, you are better prepared for the challenges ahead. Even if you think you were a half-hearted Scout, try attending an Eagle Court of Honor. The memories will flood back and a lot of them will be positive.
I'm the mother of Scouts (all grown up Scouts); my husband was a Scout Master and I was a den leader and committee member. I remember the night that I sat in a forest of trees at EucheeAnna Scout Camp. There was a blazing bonfire. There were whispers mingled with rowdy interruptions of restless Scouts. But when the ceremony began, you had better take it seriously. There was a solemnity about the occasion. Afterwards, jubilation and relief. Relief that another year was under your belt, sadness that tomorrow would be going-home day. The crickets are chiming in, the bonfire wanes, and the parents and other visitors are getting in their cars, laughing, talking, hugging their sons goodbye.
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